Thursday, June 26, 2008

Roosting Pidgeons & Big Gas Tanks

Years ago I leased a small car. It got 32 miles to the gallon, was peppy and reasonably comfortable. After a minor collision with an SUV the size of an Abrams Tank resulting in the removal of the front end of my peppy small car and a small dent upon the door of the offending Land Yacht, I went out and got me one of them! I compromised and only purchased a medium sized SUV, with fog lights and 4 wheel drive - because in the suburban US northeast, you never known when you're going to need to ford a river in your SUV in the fog.

It got 17 miles to the gallon, but I could look down on people when I pulled up to a light (or at least eye to eye with the other Yacht drivers.) My family and I were safe from an unbalanced collision.

As I drove my not-overly-huge land yacht to the gas station, it slurped mightily. But I did not care (all that much), for prices weren't that bad.

What my community did care about was seals. And seagulls. Because life and nature are important. So we outlawed the drilling for American oil where it remains, offshore. And since they like seagulls in Massachusetts, they prevented the development of offshore windmills for limitless fuel-free electricity generation. And in Alaska we stopped oil also, because caribou (big fat fuzzy deer with moose horns) deserve to breed in peace without men in trucks shipping oil out watching them.

Because the plant maybe could be possibly wasn't perfect, we shut down the nuclear power plant in Long Island, after building it for 10 years, before it was ever turned on! And we want to shut the one down above New York City, because it's old and hasn't been upgraded (because we won't let them upgrade it!) In the West, we must care for our fish. Salmon are important (and tasty), so we will reduce hydroelectric water flow to maximize their habitat.

New Jersey has a reputation for a funny smell because of refineries near Newark. No other state wants a funny smell, so they don't allow any refineries to be built (for 30 years so far).

No nukes, no refineries, no old power plants, less hydroelectric, no wind plants, no new dams (no new hydro).

I moved to Israel, I prepared for and engaged a lifestyle change. My SUV is gone, A/C is used judiciously. In winter the apartment was cold, we bundled up. Many locations are walked to, others bused to. That was my choice.

And in protecting seals and seagulls and salmon, avoiding nuclear and wind and hydro and refineries, turning corn into gas taking away from the food supply, you have made one too. You just may not have realized it.